Game Design: Complexity of Combat

I’m still working on the unique weapon powers, and I’m having an understandable amount of difficulty because the combat system, while apparently simple compared to Dungeons & Dragons because it doesn’t involve maps, miniatures, ranges, attacks of opportunity, and so on, is really quite complex once all the pieces come together.

First, you have the fact that all the players attack as one going for the system. This actually is intended to speed things up because you don’t have to roll initiative and keep track of whose turn it is, who has actions remaining, and all that because everyone just attacks together. Still, everyone is acting at once.

Status effects make this more fun. While your character is Crippled, you can’t land a direct hit on opponents so even the greatest warrior can’t hit the slowest-moving target in that condition. While you’re Weakened, you deal no damage when you miss. Staggered opponents can’t reduce damage.

Now, you have everyone deciding which attacker they’re going to intercept (if they can, or if they’re going to). This makes defense a bit more proactive, but also more complicated because you have everyone working together to determine who’s best to intercept which attacker. Once that’s determined, you have tactical defenses.

Weapon powers add another layer of complexity on top of this, which I think actually brings us to Yomi Layer 2 or 3. I’m not sure yet, my head is still spinning. If I remember correctly, you have Layer 1 when you attack and your opponent chooses to dodge or counter. You have Layer 2 when you can choose between two attacks – I forget.

Anyway, at the point where you reach the Weapon Layer, you have a weapon power that can be used to force the opponent to either take the hit or attempt a counter for it, and then you have everyone put their cards on the table. *whew* I hope that’s enough madness for one day. My head has been going around and around.